Shortcut is remapping drive letter

I've got a shortcut to a program that resides on a network drive (M:)
If I double-click the shortcut without the M: drive mapped, Windows (95 or NT, it does the same on both) somehow remembers where the program originally came from, and maps a DIFFERENT drive letter (F:) to the original UNC. It also modifies the shortcut and permanently changes the drive letter in the "Target" field. It looks like it grabs the first open drive letter.

My problem arises when this happens in a different office, across our WAN. Instead of their M: being mapped locally, the shortcut decides its going to find its long-lost home, and maps back to Minneapolis. This makes the program run very slowly from Washington DC.

So, my question is, how can I prevent Windows from remapping its own drive letter? Or at least make it map to the one I want?

You can duplicate this problem with any .EXE file. Just create a shortcut to an EXE on a network drive, then disconnect the drive & try to run the shortcut. After you run the program, check Explorer & you'll see a new drive mapping. Check the shortcut properties & you'll see the new drive letter there, too.

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The answer to your question is use DUMB shortcuts. Or a none mapping shortcut.
If you look on the windows 95cd you will find a program called shortcut.exe . This program will remove the mapping form your shortcut. There is a text file that will explain the process.

You can use a UNC-path to the destination program. For instance I use \\server\share\program.exe

Or you can use a batch file:
1. create the correct map
2. run the program from the 'well known' drive letter

bye

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DavePlumbAuthor Commented: 1998-12-08

I'm aware that I could use a UNC to map the shortcut, but the reason we use a drive letter is so that we can set up all of our offices exactly the same, and just map the drives differently.

Even using a batch file would mean using a different batch file for each office, thus defeating our concept of setting up everyone the same.

I would really like to know how (and why) Windows decides that it knows where you really wanted that shortcut located, and why it insists on remapping an incorrect drive instead of telling me that it couldn't find the executable.